Project looking at automated in-field lamb weighing moves closer as on-farm trials begin

The prototype technology aims to give sheep farmers real-time growth data without the need for gathering, handling or stressing lambs.

The Lamb Monitor project is testing three prototype systems that automatically record lamb weights in the field as animals feed, move or play. By building an ongoing picture of flock performance without routine handling, the technology could help farmers reduce labour, support animal welfare and make more informed finishing decisions.

The project brings together several UK agricultural organisations to trial a new generation of automated lamb weighing systems. The National Sheep Association (NSA), UK Agri-Tech Centre and Ritchie Agricultural have worked together to help progress the technology towards practical use, combining technical development and on-farm trials with industry knowledge exchange.

NSA is playing a role in sharing knowledge and insight from across the sheep sector, helping connect the project with the practical experiences and needs of sheep farmers. This exchange of information is important in ensuring that new technology is developed with commercial farming conditions and the realities of sheep production in mind.

The prototypes are currently being evaluated across the UK Agri-Tech Centre’s commercial farm network to assess their performance, gather farmer feedback and verify the quality and consistency of the data generated.

While automated weighing is already well established within the beef sector, developing equivalent technology for sheep has been more challenging due to lamb behaviour, flock management systems and the practicalities of gathering reliable weight data in extensive grazing environments.

Three different approaches are being trialled:

• A creep feed or mineral lick monitor, where lambs voluntarily enter the unit to access some creep feed or a mineral lick while being weighed.
• A walk-over platform, positioned between grazing paddocks so lambs are weighed as they move between fields.
• A climb-on platform, designed to encourage lambs’ natural curiosity and play behaviour, capturing weights during everyday activity.

The systems record a lamb’s EID tag and weight as it voluntarily passes through or enters each monitoring unit. In one variation, the weight recorded from a lamb’s front foot is converted into an estimated liveweight.

Data from all three systems is uploaded automatically to Ritchie’s online platform, where farmers can monitor flock performance, set target weights and receive alerts on their phone, tablet or computer when pre-defined thresholds are reached.

The data allows farmers to monitor growth rates over time, providing early insight into whether growth targets are being met and highlighting potential issues such as poor forage quality, parasite burdens or other health challenges before they become more significant.

NSA Project Manager Abby Cook says: “It is exciting to see this technology develop into a practical, farmer-focused solution which can deliver real benefits on the ground. NSA's involvement in the project has provided an opportunity to bring knowledge and insight from across the sheep sector into discussions around its development and potential application on farm.

“Not only does it make the collection of lamb weight data more straightforward and efficient, helping to reduce workload, but it also provides valuable insights that can support flock health, improve lamb growth rates and inform finishing decisions. This is an excellent example of innovation being translated into a tool that can make a meaningful difference to sheep farming businesses and I look forward to hearing more about the on-farm trial work that has been carried out.

“It is important that new technology is developed with the practical needs of sheep farmers in mind, and knowledge exchange throughout this project has been an important part of that process.”

Charlie Brown, product development manager at Ritchie, says: “Our aim has always been to develop a practical system that fits naturally into the way sheep behave, rather than requiring farmers to change the way they manage their flock.

“The UK Agri-Tech Centre’s farm network gives us the opportunity to test these prototypes across a range of commercial farming systems and understand how they perform outside controlled development environments. That feedback from commercial farmers is invaluable in helping us refine the technology and build confidence that it can deliver meaningful benefits for sheep farmers.

“By reducing the need for repeated gathering and manual weighing, we expect farmers will be able to identify lambs that are ready for market earlier, while maintaining more consistent growth rates through earlier intervention when issues such as poor forage or worm burdens arise. Alongside the labour savings, that has the potential to improve both flock performance and animal welfare.”

Hayley Gerry, project manager at the UK Agri-Tech Centre, adds: “One of the biggest barriers to adopting new technology is demonstrating that it works reliably in real commercial farming situations. That’s exactly where the UK Agri-Tech Centre can add value.

“By working with farmers to trial these prototypes under everyday conditions, we’re helping Ritchie understand how the equipment performs on farm, independently validating the data while gathering practical farmer feedback that will shape future development. If successful, this technology could give sheep producers a much easier way to monitor flock performance, reduce the need for routine handling and make more informed management decisions based on continuous data rather than occasional manual weighing.”

The commercial farm trials will help refine the technology and provide the independent evidence needed to support wider adoption of automated in-field weighing across the UK sheep sector.